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Moon Gardening Tools

I use this tool to find out the optimal days each month to plant, propagate, prune & fertilise. It's laminated, easy to use, works all over the world + the companion planting chart makes it a practical guide & gift. I love it!

Inspiring Pallet Gardening Ideas

Recently I upcycled a pallet and large square wooden crate lying around a local landscaping yard into a mini garden shed for $7. I was so pleased with the result it made me consider other ways to reuse materials for my garden needs. With more of us conscious of repurposing rather than impacting on landfill with unnecessary waste, I thought I’d share these DIY creative ideas to upcycle free wood pallets. You may be amazed at the possibilities!

Cheryl has turned this hardwood pallet into a stunning vertical garden - perfect for a narrow balcony or limited space. Repeating coordinated colours works well. You can find the DIY instructions below.

“Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.” – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upcycling

Maximum space is used here both vertically and horizontally with this abundant veggie patch filled with shallow rooted herbs and vegetables. If planting edibles directly into pallets, you may want to consider buying new and read the safety tips at the end of this article.

This pallet was salvaged from the side of the road & painted a cheery yellow to solve a privacy problem for the owners while sitting out on their exposed deck. Now it's a colourful feature planter box & an inviting place to sit. This project inspires lots of variations such as a fragrant edible herb garden in pots on one tier & colour in between. Adding hooks, brackets, tea light candles or garden art also opens up the possibilities.

Create a simple painted feature fence with one or more pallets and a few garden accessories. Hardwood pallets are a lot cheaper than buying timber for fence panels and if coated with a suitable sealing paint or finish, will have a reasonable lifespan.

In stage 1 of this project, square pots have been tucked snugly into the pallet in four 'windows' - this is a portable greenhouse that could be useful in many situations or cut down to size and stacked vertically.

Pallets were used in this project to create a low-cost raised garden bed for square foot gardening - protecting the timber inside the bed with a plastic liner will help preserve the life of the structure.

Check what they’ve been used for to avoid chemical contamination. It’s wise to Choose Safe Containers for Growing Food especially with any material with a past life! Pallet timber varies widely – from new to old, pine to hardwood and how it has been used and treated. Timber is porous and can form a breeding ground for bacteria and moulds, especially when wet or in humid conditions. Many have been treated with chemicals to prevent insects and fungal attacks on the wood especially if they have been imported. Others are used by businesses to store chemicals or toxic industrial waste. So please consider the Precautionary Principle and err on the side of caution.

Avoid wood dust and composite wood block pallets that contain formaldehyde – both are known carcinogens.

Pallets can be stacked to make more easily accessible benches and even store other objects horizontally on the narrow pallet 'shelves'. Storage solution for areas that suffer from flash flooding.

Watering vertical pallet gardens will be an issue you need to plan for – as in any container, plants require sufficient moisture, light and nutrients to do well. If you want to avoid spending too much time hand watering, consider installing a drip irrigation system before adding your plants. The bottom two rows will be the driest so consider succulents or plants with low water requirements.

Bagged soil mixes are likely to dry out too quickly and starve your plants without the addition of other ingredients.

Depending on what you want to plant into pallet gardens, you may find it tidier to staple a second layer of landscape fabric to the front facing side of the pallet (underneath the timber slats) to hold the soil in and prevent mess when watering.

Remember annuals will need replacing faster than perennial plants so if you are looking for a low maintenance vertical pallet garden, choose long lasting perennials like rocket (arugula) & chives!

Intensive planting does require higher maintenance for your garden to stay healthy – consider the time you have to care for it before embarking on your project.

Renters and balcony gardeners should check the body corporate regulations as to what is allowed first! Remember to consider the additional weight of a vertical pallet planter too.

Be courteous! If you are salvaging pallets from a commercial location remember to ask first – many businesses are happy for you to remove them but some pay a deposit and have to return the pallets to get a refund.

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This is awesome. I had a pallet that I was saving to try to figure out how to make a compost bin out of it. But my hubby had the kids tear it apart a couple of weeks ago and I’m not even sure what they did with the wood. Time to find more pallets.

Maybe too late for that pallet Michelle but I’m sure you’ll dig one up soon and get the compost bin you want. Mine only took about half an hour to make and it’s solid as a rock in very hot wet weather. Would love to see a photo when you’re done! Good luck.

Thanks David – it’s amazing what we can do with a little creative imagination. Great to see what you’ve been building with natural and recycled materials as well as teaching others these skills. Congratulations.

Thanks for the great ideas. We just moved/bought into our new home. The back yard is not as big as our last house and wondered how are we going to have our garden without taking yard space from the kids. I just showed this to my husband 5 min ago and he is already spacing out the back yard and has me looking on freecycle for pallets.

Thrilled to hear that Chaun. Vertical is definitely the way to grow to maximise space. I use lots of different methods and you’ll find more ideas in the Vertical Gardening category. Boundary fences have lots of possibilities as do handrails on verandas and stairs. Anywhere you have a horizontal rail you can also hang a pot or container. You may find some more inspiration with these tiered and stackable ideas. There are also some creative space solutions in my boards on Pinterest – even one for a Cubby House with an edible roof! I hope you enjoy planning your new back yard. Would love to know what you end up doing.

I sometimes use discarded pallets in the fireplace. They burn really well!
One problem with pallets, if you just want the boards – the nails they use. Spiraled or ringed, they like to stay in place!
I generally cut the nailed ends of the planks, using the outer studs as a guide. It’s MUCH quicker! And the wood often splits when trying to pry it apart. I’d suggest cutting the ends off, and just dealing with the nails in the center stud.
But pallets used this way are a great idea. I often see them for free, on Craigslist.

Great to hear you’ve been inspired to undertake your own project Jeanette! You can often pick up castors for around $1 at op shop/recycle stores and give them a new life. These stores often have them because they get a lot of donated secondhand furniture, some of which is not suitable for sale but the parts are still useful. Please share a photo when you’re done to inspire others!

Hi Sue – totally agree about the timber if treated … I strongly believe in erring on the side of caution. As I mentioned at the end of the post under Tips, “If you intend growing edibles in your pallet garden, do your due diligence – use heat treated (HT) marked hardwood pallets rather than those that have been fumigated and marked chemically treated (CT) or pressure treated. Check what they’ve been used for to avoid chemical contamination. It’s wise to Choose Safe Containers for Growing Food especially with any material with a past life!” So my advice would be if you can’t determine the history, use the pallet for ornamental plants or choose one of the other upcyling projects.

Wonderful ideas~and I have all the pallets I can use for free. We’ve been using them for the wood stove but once woodstove season is over~~~~I’m going to start snagging them and using them in a different way. Thank you so much!

Thanks Linda and so great to hear you’ve got plenty of pallets to use. Hope you enjoy your new pallet projects after the cold season is finished. Feel free to share your project with The Micro Gardener community.

Thanks Mike – let me know what you end up making … all ideas welcome. I often find it’s easier to imagine what’s possible with a little inspiration from other people’s creative ideas … just need a spark to light the fire! Then improvise with your own resources to come up with a creative solution. Have fun!

Great to hear Jill. I’m not sure which compost bin design you’ll make, but I stapled UV resistant weed mat to the inside of my pallet compost bins and the timber is lasting well. In practice, keeping moisture away from timber is ideal to lengthen the life of the compost bin. Hope this helps and enjoy your project.

Thanks Emmon – great to hear from you. So many of these projects really got my creative juices going too. It sometimes takes a little inspiration to get us thinking ‘outside the square’ of what we can achieve with less. I’m all for reusing and repurposing whenever I can and will be writing more on this in future posts. Stay tuned and thanks for dropping by.

Hi Jelma
So glad you like what you’ve found here! I’m very much into repurposing and reusing wherever possible (with safe materials) to tread a little lighter on the planet, use creative skills and save money. I think it’s far more satisfying using your imagination and doing things yourself than always buying new. I hope you enjoy the projects in your new house. You might also enjoy my Upcycled Inspiration Pinterest board to get some ideas.
Cheers
Anne

Hi, thanks so much for the info! I’ve already started growing strawberries in a reclaimed pallet and am searching for more pallets to grow more in! I wonder if you can give some advice about HOW to determine whether the wood has been heat or chemical treated. There are lots of pallets lying around near dumpsters and in alley ways in my neighbourhood since it is partly industrial. I haven’t gone in and asked anyone if I can take them because I’m not sure who they belong to. Even if I can determine that, are they likely to know the details about their pallets? Many thanks, again!

It’s wise to Choose Safe Containers for Growing Food especially with any material with a past life! I err on the side of caution! So my advice would be if you can’t determine the history, use the pallets for ornamental plants or choose one of the other upcycling projects. Hope this helps!

Hi Jan
Perhaps try some of the recommendations in my comment above to find out more about how the pallets have been used. Might be safest to use a clean, newer one for food gardens. Most paints/stains contain chemicals so I would consider repurposing your current one for another use and try to source a new one for your edible project. Cheers, Anne

I was on pinterest and came across the playhouse that had been built with pallets , My 5 year old Niece was looking with me and she fell in love with the play house and has her heart set on having it. She lived with me for 4 years and I love her to the Moon I think of her as my own , she visits me every weekend and wants to get on pinterest to look for things to decorate her playhouse ! So my question is could someone help me get started on this project for my Niece? ,She will not have another she wants one that looks just like the one on pinterest. Does anyone have blue prints / instructions on how to build this for her I am desperate ? I need all the help i can get ! Thank you so much !please feel free to e-mail My e-mail address is Thanks so much ! Karla

Hi Karla
I’m not sure which cubby house image you refer to but you might be able to find some plans that are close to what you are looking for by Googling “cubby house plans” and then see if you can use pallet materials you have access to. Hope this helps. All the best with your project.

Hi,
Something no garden should be without – a dry/compost toilet. I designed and made ours from untreated, repurposed pallets. The whole system – compost bin, cabin and toilets cost less than 10 Euros/Dollars. We have not used the flush toilet in the house for 18 months and our water consumption has reduced by 75% and this means a considerable saving in money too! If you are interested my three films are on: http://www.youtube.com/user/Organikmechanic – a film for each part of the system, or you can reach them through my film posted above “How to Dismantle Pallets Successfully”. Best Wishes, Organikmechanic aka Andy

Hi Andy
Thanks for sharing your design and ideas with us. I’ve also shared your Bee Hotel design on The Micro Gardener Facebook Page as I’ve just been at a Garden Expo for the last 6 days and everyone was most interested in how to make their own like the one we had on display. Feel free to Like the page and stay in touch.
Cheers, Anne

Hi! We really love this article and have shared it on our page! Beautiful ideas! We are launching an exciting interactive upcycling website in the next few weeks that you may be interested in. Follow us on Facebook (The Upcycle Movement) to hear about the launch.

My son is working on his Eagle project for scouts which involves refurbising an old school pllayground. He has taken some of the ideas from here to make planters for the playground at little cost and high environmental impact for the project! Thanks for the great ideas!!

Hi Susan
Thanks so much for sharing your son’s story. What a great example of our young generation caring for the environment and inspiring his peers. Would love to see a photo if you are happy to share. Feel free to email me at anne@themicrogardener.com.

[…] upon a few sites showing all this cool stuff you can build out of old wooden pallets. Including raised garden beds. What a cool material to use, I though. So the quest began to locate some old pallets. Gumtree had […]

Hi Christina
You have a few choices depending on your personal circumstances and plants you are using. 1. You can add some coarse soaked coir peat/coconut fibre or sphagnum moss in between the plants if they are spaced out a lot and the soil is going to tip out. This may help ‘hold’ them in by adding a barrier between the slats. 2. Ideally, if the planter is watered and left horizontally for 2-3 weeks as explained in the video tutorial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOadilqJeeg), the plants will have an opportunity to develop their roots so they are more established and naturally hold the soil in place. After this time, the planter will be really heavy so you need to consider if you will have help to move/put it in place if you take that route. I add nutrients to my potting mix to ensure my plants have plenty of food to draw on to be healthy. 3. Adding a drip irrigation system at the back of the planter not only makes it easier and quicker to water but also ensures the plants get even moisture distribution from top to bottom so the soil is less likely to come out before your planter is fully established.
Hope these tips help!

Hi, Anne, I began “pallet gardens” in August and tcmtech dripper irrigation from rain barrels in September. The dripper is totally diy and uses a glass pot lid in the rain barrel as a float. You can get 2 weeks of irrigation from the barrel (or 2 hours if you want). I used it to drip water on a pallet garden.
Anyway, the pallet gardens have being going through “rapid prototyping” so each new one is different and (hopefully) an improvement over the previous one. I am making number 7 today! Very different from number 1.
Another thing is using an aquarium bubble pump to recirculate water in pallet gardens and vertical pallet planters. (I have in the past shown that you can pump water really high with the bubble pumps) Over 10 ft high! Vertical pallet planter number 2 is made from 2 pallets. I broke them down and put them back together again. The shelves slope to the back and I think this is vital to its success. So check it out on yourtube and if you like any of it, please give it thumbs up or a comment. It takes a lot of time and time is money so if nobody uses it, it makes it kind of pointless.

Wow I absolutely LOVE your website! I’m addicted!.. Could you possibly advise if you have anything on chicken coops? I have just moved into a rented house with NO garden and salvaged tires and would like to use this and the pallets to create a coop where the dogs can’t get into! x

Hi Sanet
Thanks for your lovely feedback! Quite coincidentally I’ve just written a story about “Kathy: A Reclaimed Sustainable Garden“. She’s a local Brisbane lady, who’s been creating a suburban garden (including a chicken coop) almost totally out of reclaimed materials. I think you would really benefit from reading it and getting some inspiring ideas. It also links to pics and more info on their chicken coop which was architect designed by her son Kyle, who has worked extensively making sustainable buildings with reclaimed tyres. I am not a fan of using tyres in an organic vegetable garden to grow food due to the toxic chemicals they can leach into the soil but they have other uses like roof insulation on their coop. The pallets will no doubt be of great use but I’m sure you will benefit greatly by seeing how resourceful Kathy & Kyle are and no doubt you can be too! Check out Freecycle.org – it’s a wonderful way to get materials for free. Just join for free in your local region. Hope this helps and happy reading!

Hi there
I work in a small school for children with severe learning difficulties. We have been asked to make a pallet garden for a competition – my idea was to make a rainbow garden so that it would be very visual and sensory rich for the children but I am not a gardener and have no idea where to start. We have a pallet but that’s about it. Any help would be great !

Hi Mark
I suggest you start with the information in this post and watch all the video tutorials. They are quite detailed and show you step by step what materials you need, how to line the pallets, fill with soil (I’d strongly recommend using my potting mix recipe for this project) and plant them out. I would suggest you pre-paint your pallet in rainbow colours first (with non-toxic paint – there are many external low or no-VOC paints on the market). It would be too difficult to paint after planting. I would also suggest you consider adding an irrigation system if the children would find it too challenging to water the pallet planter. Another suggestion is to cut a pallet in half horizontally and put the two halves side by side so they are shorter and easily accessed by the children – then they could sit and smell for longer periods. Or even use 2 pallets and make a square by cutting them both in half, staking them in the corners for support.
With plant selection, perhaps choose lots of colourful, fragrant flowers and edibles like marigolds, petunias, red/green/purple lettuces, lemon balm, chocolate mint, peppermint, geraniums etc. See my post on ideas for sensory gardens.
You may also find some inspiration for other easy DIY projects on my Pinterest board – Gardening with Kids. You could use the pallet for other projects too. I particularly like:Funky Fence – colourful and bright.Pencil Gate – you could saw the pallet timbers off to make points and use them to make a gate or fence.A Rainbow Raised Garden Bed – this could be an easy fun project to try with plants I’ve mentioned above.
Hope this gives you some inspiration and ideas.
Kind regards, Anne

I love all of your ideas but am most interested in how you built the shed out of the crate and pallets . Do you have any pics or tutorials of that project ? You are so creative , your page is wonderful !!
Thanks and hugs
Swannie

Hi Swannie
Thanks so much for your feedback. I have taken pics of my shed project and plan to post them on my Hometalk page soon. You can connect with me there so you’ll see my tutorial as soon as it’s posted! Stay tuned.

[…] There are websites dedicated to selling recycled crafty items for purchase and they can usually be found in your own community. If not, you can start your own recycling program by donating a recycle bin to various spots in your community (the library, grocery stores, post offices, etc.) and start sorting them yourself. If you want a few ideas to get started check out Pinterest or this great one from The Micro Gardener! […]

[…] Creative ways to upcycle wooden pallets in your garden. These things are so easy to come by it’s ridiculous, so go get you some! Here’s some additional info on how to work with pallets – really important to read if you’ve never used them before. […]

[…] Being passionate about fair food access and decreasing food waste, I was inspired by the idea of using up-cycled pallets to grow veggies in your yard. In our urban communities people often don’t have the space or […]

WOW! these are amazing ideas! I love them so much I just called my local hardwear store to see if they have any for me & they do! I’m going to start on some of these this weekend. Thank you so much for sharing them with us. I was having such a dilemma with my old garden because of my yard being such a weedy place & the soil isn’t very good, This will certainly help me grow my veggies now Thank you again!

[…] created out of plenty of scrap materials: potatoes grown in a bucket or trash can, for example, or wooden pallets turned into an herb garden. Anne Gibson, an Australian who runs The Micro Gardener website, has […]

[…] out of copiousness of throw materials: potatoes grown in a bucket or rabble can, for example, or wooden pallets incited into an herb garden. Anne Gibson, an Australian who runs The Micro Gardener website, has […]

[…] to people in all situations. The idea of hers that took the mind-blowing cake was her idea for a pallet garden – basically, you take an old pallet, staple some garden fabric to it, fill it with soil, and […]

[…] Being passionate about fair food access and decreasing food waste, I was inspired by the idea of using up-cycled pallets to grow veggies in your yard. In our urban communities people often don’t have the space or […]

[…] interim vegetable garden on a former playground, to be transformed into new workplaces by the St. 20 Creative Ways to Upcycle Pallets in your Garden | Inspiring Pallet Gardening Ideas Recently I upcycled a pallet and large square wooden crate lying […]

[…] to check out this site for how to use old wooden pallets for a twist on container gardening – 20 Creative Ways to Upcycle Containers in your Garden! We’ve seen a variety of ways to do this over the years (and have used them ourselves) but Anne […]

I have gardened for too many year to mention. It was easier back in Scotland mainly as nature watered for me. I am so excited to try some of your ideas out. As I’m not as young as I used to be, I think this will work well. Reduce the bending and I can still have my fresh produce. Should I introduce worms into the earth in planters.

[…] is that you can get really creative with it. Anne Gibson from the microgardener has a post with 20 creative ideas to use your pallet, which I found very interesting and useful. There is no end to what you can with your […]

[…] Moreover, they are easy to assemble and prove to be very functional for your future activities! 20 Creative Ways to Upcycle Pallets in your Garden | Inspiring Pallet Gardening Ideas Recently I upcycled a pallet and large square wooden crate lying […]

Thanks for all the great ideas! I have an enormous amount of pallets as we had so much equipment delivered for our chicken houses. I’m hoping to make some planters and hot boxes to keep the deer out of my seedlings

I’m living in Cambodia, I’m a Cambodian. I interested about pallet upcycled gardening. Can you tell me how many advantages and disadvantage on pallet upcycled gardening. Please send answer to my email address.
Thank for award!

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Recipe for Baby Kale, Mozzarella, and Egg Bake (and Ten More Ideas for Starting Your Day with Kale!). Enjoy the health benefits of kale. It's high in Vit C, A, K and fibre. Also contains anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant nutrients. All good reasons to eat and grow kale! | The Micro Gardener